Revealing the Unifying Principles of Biomineralization Through Model Systems

Biomineralization is the formation of inorganic materials and molecular crystals by living organisms. It is a highly abundant biological phenomenon that occurs in all taxonomic groups, and is studied in many research areas ranging from ecology and geology to materials science and biomedicine. To date, more than 70 different types of biominerals are known, displaying species specific architectures, as well as large spreads in chemical compositions and biological functions. Due to the current focus on studying biomineral morphologies and properties as well as exploring applications, the quest for identifying unifying principles behind all mineral biogenesis processes has somewhat faded into the background. Yet, such understanding is crucial to reveal how mineral morphogenesis is encoded in genomes, predict how biomineralizing organisms will respond to a changing environment, and foster the translation of biomineralization principles into new materials technologies and improved healthcare. What are the unifying principles and how far do they span the wide spectrum of biomineral systems? The Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Biomineralization 2024, in conjunction with the accompanying Gordon Research Seminar (GRS), aims to put this question into focus by discussing the latest insights into the mechanisms of biomineralization obtained by (i) studying evolutionary diverse model organisms, (ii) investigating biomimetic in vitro systems, and (iii) applying theory and modeling. The poster sessions are central elements of the GRC and GRS meetings. They allow for broadening and deepening discussions not only on the session topics, but also on many other topics in biomineralization. Therefore, we highly welcome poster contributions from all areas of biomineralization research. As usual, about 10 poster contributions will be selected for short oral presentations with priority being given to early career scientists.